Do you think Nepal is ready for the Open Government Partnership?

This is a post by Narayan Adhikari at Accountability Lab Nepal, re-posted from the Accountability Lab newsletter. For more information please contact narayan@accountabilitylab.org

As countries around the world attempt to address citizens’ rising demand for greater openness and transparency, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) provides a unique platform for national governments to develop a multilateral, coordinated effort to make their societies more transparent, accountable and responsive. As such, the OGP is becoming increasingly important – particularly for countries like Nepal - that have made progress in terms of accountability and transparency but still face challenges in terms of democratic governance and citizen-centric decision-making.

Following the establishment of a Nepal as a federal democratic republic in 2008, efforts to support the open government movement have evolved, both inside and outside of government, albeit sporadically. With the promulgation of a new constitution in September 2015, the recent local elections in 2017 and a process of decentralization underway, now is the time to push forward the open government agenda.

Nepal is eligible for the OGP, but is it ready? Along with our friends at CIPE, Accountability Lab decided to assess Nepal's readiness through a survey, focus groups and interviews across the country. Read our Readiness Assessment here. This research was aided by Local Interventions Group and the National Information Commission of Nepal along with a number of other civil society organizations (CSOs) and think tanks operating in Nepal. We spoke to government officials, members of political parties, civil society bodies, the media, the private sector and more. The assessment synthesizes these findings, outlines challenges and charts a way forward for Nepal in relation to the OGP. Read the assessment here and join the discussion on Twitter with @accountlab using the hashtag #nepalogp.